Season 4 of the American period drama TV series “The Americans” is set to premiere on FX on March 16 and reports have it that the show will continue to push boundaries with its riveting storytelling.
Critics regard “The Americans” as one of the few shows on cable television that are not afraid to push boundaries given its brutal violence and heated sex exchange, but nonetheless portrayed with the utmost class and character. But it is also a family drama that has one of the more adult offerings airing on the small screen, details Indiewire.
Those characteristics of “The Americans” were quite evident in the two new trailers for Season 4 as it showed Philip Jennings, played by Matthew Rhys, and Elizabeth Jennings, played by Keri Russell, looking very fresh as ever while seducing two new marks.
The second video clip is more about atmosphere, as it focuses on the Cold War tensions where the period drama was built on in the first place.
Getting the daughter to the story or not
Last season saw Philip and Elizabeth disagreeing about whether or not to tell their daughter the truth. It eventually came down to the questions of how to parent Paige or how to fight for their family’s survival, notes TV Line.
It was actually executive producer Joel Fields who made the synopsis of the upcoming season during the Television Critics Association winter press tour in Pasadena, California last month.
Fields disclosed that the idealistic Philip from the early seasons of “The Americans,” who wanted to adopt the American culture, is gone. The character’s goal has become more narrow and pure because he only wants what is best for his family.
Rhys said that what he sees in Philip is this metronome increasing as he goes while thinking that he needs to do everything as best as he can so that everyone stays alive.
Meanwhile, Elizabeth is also going through her own struggles as well. Keri Russell disclosed that the upcoming season feels a lot more about the emotional cost of everyone’s choices over the last three years. She added that there is a big opening for her character in a new way, especially with Paige and seeing how it is affecting her.
She explained that between Paige’s fractures and Philip’s fractures, there is a bigger sensitivity to the fragility of her family this coming season.
Iconic moments from the 80s
What’s quite interesting about “The Americans” is its continuous effort to include several iconic moments from the 80s.
Among those include David Copperfield making the Statue of Liberty disappear, “The Day After” debuts, and US President Ronald Reagan gives his “Star Wars” speech. There are still many others in the TV series. Reports have it that Season 4 of “The Americans” will deal with bioweapons and the danger of them getting out at the time, hints showrunner Fields.
There have also been reports going around that there are now talks among the show’s producers and showrunner about the possible end date for the series, which fans and viewers took to mean that Season 4 of “The Americans” may be the last for the series.
However, Fields refuse to confirm the speculations by saying that there is an air of uncertainty about when the FX series will conclude.
He said that he does not know the answer to that as of this time. He added that what they know is that the fourth season feels like they are coming toward the second act of a three-act story.
The bigger question is whether “The Americans” would still have enough juice left to make it to Season 5 or perhaps up to Season 6. But Fields said that in order for the show to really tell the rest of the story, they need to make it to Season 5 at least.